1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tool for unlatching a locking pin on a gooseneck ball hitch.
2. Prior Art Statement
The gooseneck trailer has been a boon to farmers, freight haulers, construction firms and individuals. Though some gooseneck trailers are fitted with a fifth-wheel connection requiring a fifth-wheel plate installation in the towing vehicle, ball hitch gooseneck trailers are the preferred device for multiple use vehicles. The ball hitch is coupled to a ball which is generally disposed over the drive axle of the towing vehicle, however, the ball hitch is also generally disposed in the bed of a pickup or small truck which requires the operator to bend underneath the overhang of the gooseneck, crawl into the bed of the truck, lift and move the latch pin from a locked position to an unlocked position. Typical gooseneck ball hitches are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,735 issued on 23 Nov. 1993 to Fred W. Mann, U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,109 issued on 17 Jan. 1995 to Oscar W. Nyman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,094 issued on 4 Nov. 1997 to Russell C. Gullickson and U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,241 issued on 15 Oct. 2002 to Jeffrey Daniel. These patents show a locking pin handle which has a pin releasably associated with a hole or slot in the locking plates. All require the operator to enter the bed of the vehicle to unlock the trailer ball and therefore, there is a great need for a simple, inexpensive tool that can be carried in a tool box or placed loosely in the bed of a towing vehicle which can be manually operated from any of various positions adjacent the bed of the towing vehicle to unlock a locking pin from a gooseneck trailer ball hitch and place the locking pin in upon an unlocking position post.
It is known to provide a remote release for a gooseneck ball hitch which has a spring loaded pin protected by an enclosure on the side of the gooseneck. The remote release has a quarter-turn lock handle positioned on the gooseneck adjacent the jack handle to hold the locking pin out of the hole until putting the column of the gooseneck onto the ball. The bottom plate of the ball hitch has a cone on the bottom of the plate to receive the ball which moves the bottom plate relative to the ball plate. The bottom plate is spring loaded to the locked position so that when the ball passes through the holes in both plates, the bottom plate rotates to the locked position to secure the gooseneck to the ball. The operator must then unlock the quarter-turn lock handle and allow the spring loaded pin to drop into the locking aperture through both plates. For instance, see the U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,363 issued on 31 Jan. 1995, to James A. Morey. The device must be installed on the gooseneck of the trailer requiring considerable cost both for the device and its installation. There is a great need for a simple, inexpensive tool which can be manually manipulated into position to unlock the locking pin and place it on an unlocking post.
It is also known to provide an adapter for a fifth-wheel king pin which has a plurality of balls disposed in a ring surrounding a central post wherein the balls fall out of engagement with holes in the post when the ring is rotated. A rod is fitted in a slot having detents at opposed ends of the slot, one end of the rod affixed in the ring. For instance, see the U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,195 B2 issued on 26 Oct. 2004 to Jerry R. Smith. There is a need for a simple, inexpensive tool for unlatching a locking pin on a gooseneck ball hitch which comprises an arm supported on a support leg wherein the tool can be manually manipulated into position to unlock the locking pin.
It is further known to provide an adapter which converts a fifth-wheel to a ball hitch that has a remote latch for a gooseneck ball hitch which has a conical lower surface, however, this latch moves a hardened steel forward pin from a position underneath the ball. For instance, see U.S. Pat. No. 6,540,246 B2 issued on 1 Apr. 2003 to Anderson, et al. Though effective, there is still a need for a simple, inexpensive tool which can be manually manipulated into position to unlock the locking pin.
Additionally, it is known to provide a locking device having a locking plate that pivots about a pin into the reduced neck of the ball shank, the pin comprising a spring loaded eye that when grasped, is used to both unlock the pin and rotate the locking plate. When unlocked, the pin is then inserted into an unlock hole. For instance, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,415 issued on 9 Feb. 1999 to Robert D. VanVleet. It is still required to enter the bed of the towing vehicle to manually rotate the locking plate, a short coming of most gooseneck ball hitches. Thus, there is still a need for a simple, inexpensive tool which can be manually manipulated into position, the tool having an arm supported on a support leg wherein the locking pin engagement end of the arm terminates in a curved hook.
Finally, it is known to provide a latch and a coupler jaw for a gooseneck trailer ball hitch which are separately cable operated to decouple the gooseneck from the ball. For instance, see the U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,270 issued on 31 Aug. 1993 to Floyd Colibert or the U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,372 issued on 15 Feb. 2000 to Colibert, et al. The cables may easily be tangled which may result in inadvertent tripping of the latch and potential subsequent unlatching of the coupler jaw. The need for a simple, inexpensive tool that is detachable from the lock but may still be used to trip the latch and the coupler jaw of this invention is still needed.